


L is for Loop

by immertreu



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-16 01:23:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3469175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immertreu/pseuds/immertreu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel, Jack and Sam get stuck in a maze - or maybe it's something else entirely?</p>
            </blockquote>





	L is for Loop

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written as part of the Stargate-themed Time Travel Alphabet Soup on LJ. My letter was L.
> 
> Many thanks to my beta IcyWaters!

  
**L is for Loop**

by immertreu  
February 21-24, 2015

 

“We're lost.” Daniel stated the obvious, but as always, Jack couldn't resist the challenge.

“We're not lost,” their team leader replied while constantly checking their surroundings for any threat. “Just taking the scenic route.”

“Then where are the sights?” Daniel replied deadpan.

Sam snorted and hid her grin behind a stern expression the moment her CO regarded her with a raised eyebrow. “Sir, I think Daniel's right. Sir,” she added for good measure, but she knew Jack wasn't fooled. He motioned for her to continue, and she complied. “We've walked through this doorway three times already. Notice the chipped step, sir? It's the same every time we end up here – wherever here is.”

Jack stared at the damaged sill and scowled. “No fair, Carter. That's not possible.”

This time, she did grin at him. “No, sir. Sorry, sir.” 

Daniel chuckled at their antics, knowing full well that his friends were trying to lighten the mood and not think of their missing team member and their predicament. Somehow, Teal'c had stayed behind the first time they stepped through the door leading further into the ancient temple SG-1 had been sent to investigate – ancient not with capital A, for a change. 

Daniel had led the way, following the light of his powerful flashlight into the alluring depths of the hallway whose walls were adorned with foreign writing he couldn't read – yet. Sam and her curious nose for advanced technology had followed close behind. Jack had been one step ahead of Teal'c, their rear-guard, crossing the threshold a few seconds before their resident Jaffa. Suddenly the three human team members were alone in the building, no sign of Teal'c or the light he was carrying to be found. The hallway they found themselves in was slightly illuminated by sconces set into the walls – power source unknown. 

They had turned back immediately, but the doorway had – for lack of a better word – refused to let them through. There was no door, no energy field or any other explanation for the resistance they met when they tried to cross the threshold again. It was like walking into an invisible wall. A slightly elastic wall, for that matter. The room that lay behind was blanketed in impenetrable darkness. Or maybe the invisible shield was fooling them again.

Having no choice and not being able to raise Teal'c on the radio, they had cautiously continued onward – only to stumble into a maze. The whole temple seemed to be one huge labyrinth.

Keeping to the left had worked as well as following the opposite way – meaning they somehow always ended up at the beginning. 

Sam grew serious and confirmed it. “I didn't want to believe it at first, so I took a picture of the door frame and the step.” She held up her tiny digital camera as proof. “This is the third time we've walked through this particular entrance, no doubt about it. I just can't explain it, sir.” She glanced down at the scribbled notes in her other hand and frowned, affronted by the illogical events that defied her attempts at trying to map the layout of the inner temple. 

Jack's scowl deepened. “So,” he drawled, clearly unhappy. “Any suggestions?”

Daniel turned away from the wall and the script he'd been studying after copying a passage into his own notebook. “Breadcrumbs?”

Jack stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Thank you for this very unhelpful suggestion, Dr. Jackson.” 

Daniel shrugged, unperturbed, and went back to his notes. He was still trying to figure out why the language seemed so familiar yet still eluded him. 

Their team leader sighed and signed for them to take a break. “We'll stay here for a while,” he ordered. “You look around. I'll take first watch. Carter, you're next.” He dropped his pack to the floor next to the door they had just stepped through – again – resettled his cap on his head, and stared at the offensive “wall” he couldn't even see. 

“Yes, sir,” Sam confirmed, and started rummaging around in her pack. “Daniel, are you hungry?” They had been here for more than five hours already.

“No, thank you,” he said, already distracted by his thoughts. He placed his pack next to Jack's, dug out a bigger notebook and another pen, and set to work on the beautiful yet alien script adorning the mysterious doorway. The answer to their problem had to be there!

Sam also took out her equipment, paying close attention to the invisible field or whatever was blocking their exit, trying to find any kind of power source or wiring built into the walls or the floor, a hidden mechanism or panel they could access to get out of here. She was worried, though. Teal'c must have called the SGC by now and requested back-up, but there was no way to be sure, of course. “I hope he's okay,” she murmured, and Daniel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder when she passed him, her eyes riveted to the readings on her scanner. 

“I'm sure he is,” he said, and Sam smiled gratefully. Trust their often oblivious archaeologist to comfort a teammate in need. She patted his hand and went back to work.

Silence reigned.

Two more hours passed. “I know this,” Daniel finally mumbled under his breath and jumped when Sam suddenly spoke up right next to his left ear. 

“How?” she asked, trying to sneak a glance at his work over his shoulder. She stepped back with her hands raised in apology when he glared at her. 

“Don't do that!” Daniel admonished. “I'm trying to figure this out without anyone scaring me to death.”

“Sorry,” she smiled. “Just trying to help.”

He deflated and smiled back. “I know, Sam. Sorry,” he added, tiredly rubbing his eyes under his glasses. He was so close! He could feel it.

She only grinned and held out a ration bar and canteen for him. “Dinner?”

He blinked and accepted the offerings. Jack was also chewing on a bar without relinquishing the hold on his P-90. “Anything?” he mumbled around a mouthful, which made it sound like “mmphn?” 

Daniel grinned and swallowed his own bite of the tasteless nutrient before replying. “Yes and no.”

Luckily Jack was still chewing, but he glared nonetheless, so Daniel hurried on, “It seems to be a variant of Egyptian Arabic but written in a mix of very old Japanese and Ancient symbols. Some of it looks like the writing we found on Ernest's planet. It's coded, of course. And yes, I know it makes no sense at all,” he added before Sam could open her mouth. “The languages and cultures are not even remotely related, that's why it took me so long to recognize any sort of order in the script. Code. Whatever.” 

Sam frowned and asked, “So what is it? A joke? A riddle? Who could have written anything this...jumbled?”

Daniel shrugged noncommittally and bit into his disgusting food, thinking hard and squinting at the text again. 

Jack turned to Sam. “Carter? What did you find?”

“Well, sir, it's seems the door is lined with an unknown material that makes it impossible to scan the exact make-up of the entryway. I guess I could destroy the power lines running through it, but I have no idea what that'll do to the mechanism. I might disrupt the circle and make the obstacle disappear.” 

She fell silent, and Jack prodded, “Or?”

Sam sighed and continued. “Or I might blow up this whole building.” She shrugged apologetically. “To be honest, sir, I have no idea what this is and how it works. It's definitely not Goa'uld or any form of alien technology we've encountered before. It's complicated enough that it would warrant much, much more study time. Time we don't have.” She gestured around. “We could spend weeks walking this maze and never get out. And we're only carrying food for another day, two at most. I know Teal'c will have called for help by now, but they might not be able to find us. Maybe what's blocking this doorway is permanent. Maybe not. It's definitely not a quantum mirror or a simple force field, more like a...fluctuation of some kind.”

Frustration was evident in her voice. She took a deep breath and let it out again to calm herself. Venting her anger wouldn't help them solve their problem. She just didn't like technology that defied even her expertise and inventiveness.

Her CO gazed at her thoughtfully. “Think we could just blow the wall?”

That got Daniel back into the conversation. “Now wait a minute!” he protested.

Jack and Sam shared a grin. Threatening to blow up one of their favorite archaeologist's treasures always had the desired effect. Daniel noticed, of course, and groaned, “That's not funny,” he grumbled. Then he brandished the notebook he'd been poring over and said, “I think I've got it. But you're not gonna like it.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Try me,” he deadpanned.

“Okay. So, let me see...” He ruffled through his notes and finally announced, “I think the writing says that we're in a place of 'eternal searching.'” He painted quotation marks in the air, and continued, “Only the worthy one might leave this place.” He knitted his eyebrows together in thought. “Here's where it gets a little vague.”

Jack snorted. “You mean more vague than the gibberish you've just deciphered?”

Daniel shrugged. “Well...yes. Anyway, it seems this place is supposed to be a test of some kind. Unfortunately, the text doesn't say for whom or what kind of trial it is. Just that it's never ending. I think.”

“Ya think?” Jack didn't look pleased. 

“I didn't exactly have time to re-check everything, but I'm pretty sure, yeah.” Daniel's sarcasm rivaled his team leader's.

Sam spoke up. “Do you think it's literal or a metaphor?”

“I'm afraid it's the former.”

“Oh boy.”

Daniel grinned ruefully. 

Jack finally relinquished his watch position by the doorway and joined his teammates. “So, we're stuck in a maze that magically transports us back here every time we take a wrong turn, we can’t leave the way we came because this energy field blocking the entrance won't budge, and there’s no way of contacting the outside world,” he summarized, and grimaced. “Did I forget anything?”

Daniel merely shrugged. Sam hugged her scanner and her notebook closer as if willing them to produce a miracle.

Jack sighed. “Didn't think so. Okay, kids, pack it up. We'll give this one more try. If this loop ends with us being stuck in this room again, we'll just blow the wall and hope that the whole temple doesn't come crashing down on us.” Seeing Daniel's mutinous look, he added, “Yes, Daniel, I know it's invaluable and fascinating and you want to study it, but we need to get out of here at one point. So far we've seen no hostiles or traps, but I wouldn't bet on being safe here either. We don't have enough equipment or tools, and I for one don't wanna end up rotting in this semi-dark hall for all eternity, no matter how important the builders of this place deem their test.” 

He broke off with an annoyed huff. Why was he even explaining his decision? Oh, right, because Daniel was stubbornly standing his ground, his arms folded in front of him. “Daniel, not now. We need to go.” He didn't wait for a reply and turned to pick up his pack. Noises told him that Carter and Daniel were getting ready, too, the latter unwillingly but for once following orders.

One hour later, they were back where they had begun. The moment they crossed the now infamous threshold, they realized their mistake – and poof, ended up in the same dank tunnel that they had already spent so many hours exploring. They couldn't turn back – again.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Jack exclaimed. “This place is driving me nuts. That's it. Carter, get the C4.” He opened a pocket on his vest and drew out two bars of the highly explosive material. He placed them on the wall closest to the temple entrance, hoping that this whole thing wouldn't blow up in their faces. Sam added another bar a few meters away, careful not to put down too much firepower. They still needed to walk out of here, thank you very much.

Daniel looked on in disappointed silence but realized the need for a destructive solution.

They tried one last time to raise Teal'c on the radio, but only static greeted Jack's announcement to clear the door. Sighing, he motioned for his team to take cover behind the next doorway. And then he hit the button.

White light seemed to erupt when the charges blew. Daniel thought he heard someone shouting his name – and then nothingness greeted him. The next thing he saw was Teal'c's face hovering about him with a worried look. “Daniel Jackson, are you all right?” the Jaffa asked, and Daniel grunted in reply. His head was killing him! But other than that? Yes, he was fine.

He gingerly accepted the offered arm and sat up. “Thanks, Teal'c. I'm okay. What happened?” He looked around and saw Sam and Jack nearby, also in the painful process of getting their bearings. 

Teal'c looked at him gravely. “I do not know,” he said. “We were exploring the first room of the temple. You, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill had crossed a threshold leading deeper into the building when you cried out and collapsed. I carried you out here and went back for Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill who were suffering from the same debilitating pain.”

“But Teal'c,” Sam interrupted. She was slowly getting to her knees, accepting a helping hand from Jack who looked only slightly less pale. “We were gone for almost eight hours.”

Teal'c looked at her in concern. “I do not understand,” he rumbled while hauling Daniel to his feet. “We arrived here only twenty minutes ago.”

Astonished, Sam and Jack traded glances with Daniel who could only shrug and wince at the movement. As one, they turned back to the temple that stood silent and ancient. There was no sign of their explosives having gone off. Suddenly, Sam dropped to her knees again, almost dragging her CO with her, and started digging around in her gear. 

“Carter?” Jack asked, concerned.

“Just a minute, sir,” she replied, and continued to rummage around. Eventually, she sat back on her heels and rubbed a hand over her face. “Do you remember eating some of my rations, sir? Daniel?” she asked.

Both men nodded. “Yes,” Daniel said. “What about it?”

Without replying, Sam raised her fist and held three ration bars up for them to see. “They're still here,” she said, wide-eyed.

“What?!” Jack and Daniel shouted in unison. 

Jack then carefully reached into his pocket – and drew out a bar of C4 he simply knew he had used just a few minutes ago. Everyone stared at it. 

Daniel recovered first, “How is that possible? Did we suffer from mass hallucinations? A shared dream perhaps?”

Teal'c looked on in worry but kept silent. He could not explain his teammates’ weird behavior or the events they seemed to remember which had never happened.

Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair, unsettling his customary cap. “Carter, what time is it?”

“Huh?” Uncomprehending, she looked at her watch. “Almost twenty-hundred hours, sir.”

“Daniel?”

Daniel complied and looked at his own SGC-provided wristwatch. “Eight p.m.,” he said, not bothering with military time.

Teal'c, understanding his team leader's intent, didn't need to be asked. “It is midday, O'Neill.”

Jack swore under his breath. “Well, that's explains it.”

Sam looked ill as well. “It wasn't a transporter or an elaborate scheme.”

Daniel finished for her, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. “It really was a loop, but not the one we expected. There must have been a fail-safe: We got transported out the moment we tried to blow the place up.”

Disquieted, Jack picked up his gear. “Let's go, people. We can work out the details of our trip later.” Wincing at his own poor choice of words, he led his bewildered team for home. Time travel always did make his head hurt.

**The End**


End file.
